


it takes my pain away

by sherrybaby



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: M/M, Major Character Injury, Major character death - Freeform, Soulmate AU, spoilers for the book
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2017-09-30
Packaged: 2019-01-07 02:19:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12223746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sherrybaby/pseuds/sherrybaby
Summary: soulmate au prompt: the one where you can transfer any injuries/pain your soulmate has onto yourself.





	it takes my pain away

**Author's Note:**

> ship: Reddie/Grownup!Reddie
> 
> detailed spoilers for the book/major character injury/major character death

****the losers were already at a disadvantage walking into battle the second time; stan was gone, mike was in the hospital with a knife wound courtesy of henry fucking bowers- how he had found their rooms, they’d never know, but they suspected the clown had something to do with it. the circle had been broken.

the air in the sewers was staticky, charged with nervous energy. there was no mistaking what they came here to do, and the monster was prepared for it. it beckoned them at every turn, drawing them in. this was it.

ben, bill and beverly, richie and eddie stood at the mouth of the sewer, in the barrens weeds, weapons in hand. eddie was nursing a bad arm break, another surfaced memory from 1958, only this time it was real, and  _painful_. he was hissing in breath through clamped teeth, trying to hold his arm steady enough. the world was swimming gray around him. someone touched his shoulder.

“wait.” richie had only meant to stop eddie, but the other three stopped and looked back at him. he cleared his throat. “eddie’s in pain.”

“i’m fine,” eddie said, face blanching as he turned towards the group, trying to shrug richie’s hand off.

“no you’re not, eds,  _stop.”_ he began rubbing his hands together in a way that reminded eddie of mr. miyagi in the karate kid, ready to fix daniel-san and send him in to fight for his honor. only now they were fighting for their lives. richie gently touched eddie’s left arm with his left hand, then his own arm with his right hand. eddie felt that familiar tingling sensation, the one that happened many times throughout the years when the two boys realized they could take the other’s pain away. 

eddie hated it, always had. he wasn’t some weak fragile thing that needed constant protection and no matter how hard he fought richie on this, richie reminded him that they were soulmates, and eddie was more accident prone. besides, who knew what could happen  _down there_ and eddie’s expression was stoic and richie assured him it was a joke, promised it really was. he would regret that.

and now the pain was in richie’s arm. there was no break but the pain was white hot, and he figured he could manage it, his arm was still intact, it just hurt like  _hell._

eddie, on the other hand, was healed. the first time, the injury was transferred, but they’d had enough practice over the years to keep the injuries to a minimum, save for hen eddie’s nose was broken by bowers and his gang after the rock war. that time, richie’s nose broke too and his shirt was drenched in blood.

the group continued on.

* * *

_“eddie, eddie stay with me”_

eddie’s arm was ripped off at the shoulder, not unlike georgie denbrough’s some 27 years earlier. the circle had closed.

_“eds”_

richie’s voice was inside of him and his arms around him and eddie knew there was no coming back 

_(the turtle couldn’t save us and richie can’t save me this time)_

and eddie cupped richie’s tear stricken face and tried to take his pain away

“don’t call me eds-”


End file.
